Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary Louise | 1916 | L. Frank Baum | Buy |
| 2 | Mary Louise in the Country | 1916 | L. Frank Baum | Buy |
| 3 | Mary Louise Solves a Mystery | 1917 | L. Frank Baum | Buy |
| 4 | Mary Louise and the Liberty Girls | 1918 | L. Frank Baum | Buy |
| 5 | Mary Louise Adopts a Soldier | 1919 | L. Frank Baum | Buy |
| 6 | Mary Louise and Josie O’Gorman | 1922 | L. Frank Baum | Buy |
The Mary Louise series was written by L. Frank Baum under the pen name Edith Van Dyne, one of several pseudonyms the Oz creator used for non-fantasy work. The books follow Mary Louise, a young American woman who gets drawn into mysteries and adventures in the years during and after World War I. The first book, Mary Louise (1916), introduces the character and her family, while later entries like Mary Louise and the Liberty Girls (1918) reflect the patriotic spirit of the wartime era.
After Baum’s death in 1919, the series was continued by Emma Speed Sampson, who wrote the final volumes including Mary Louise and Josie O’Gorman (1922). The six books blend mystery with the domestic and social concerns of young women in early twentieth-century America. They are very different in tone from the Oz books, showing Baum’s ability to write realistic fiction for older girls alongside his famous fantasy work.